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☆ US caver rescued after days-long climb from 1,000 metres deep in Turkish cave
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Ali Kucukgocmen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MERSIN, Turkey, Sept 11 (Reuters) - An American caver who had become trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) underground in southern Turkey after falling ill was rescued early on Tuesday, Turkey's TUMAF caving federation said, after a days-long international rescue operation. "Dickey was removed from the last exit of the cave," TUMAF wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. [1/4]Italian Alpine rescuers (CNSAS) carry U.S. caver Mark Dickey on stretcher as part of a rescue operation in Morca Cave in Mersin province, southern Turkey September 11, 2023. Italian Alpine Rescue/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights"Thus, the cave rescue part of the operation has ended successfully. Footage from previous phases of the operation showed Dickey lying inside the cave and receiving treatment by a medical team.

Persons: Mark Dickey, Dickey, TUMAF, caver Mark Dickey, Ali Kucukgocmen, Aurora Ellis, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: MERSIN, Turkey, American, Mersin, Italian, Cave, Mersin province, Croatia, Italy

☆ Argentine conservative opposition wins provincial governor election by landslide
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People gather at the campaign headquarters of the Juntos por el Cambio alliance for a primary election night event in Buenos Aires, Argentina August 13, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUENOS AIRES, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Argentina's main opposition alliance, Juntos por el Cambio, has won the governorship of Santa Fe province, the country's third most populous, in a sweeping victory for the conservative bloc, according to official provisional election data. One of the most important agricultural districts in Argentina, Santa Fe is home to the Rosario agricultural port complex, from which more than 80% of the country's agricultural shipments are exported. The latest national polls show an advantage for the libertarian economist Javier Milei, followed by Massa and the Juntos por el Cambio presidential candidate, Patricia Bullrich. "I wish the best future for the entire province of Santa Fe," said Fernandez, who is part of the Peronist coalition.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Maximiliano Pullaro, Marcelo Lewandowski, Pullaro, Sergio Massa, Javier Milei, Massa, Patricia Bullrich, Bullrich, Alberto Fernandez, Fernandez, Eliana Raszewski, Jackie Botts, Leslie Adler, Christopher Cushing Organizations: el Cambio, REUTERS, la Patria, Peronist, Thomson Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, Santa Fe, Rosario, Argentine

☆ US caver who became trapped 1,000 metres deep in Turkey is moved halfway to surface
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Umit Bektas Acquire Licensing RightsMERSIN, Turkey, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Rescuers raced on Sunday to rescue an American caver who had become trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) underground in southern Turkey, moving him halfway to the surface. More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other countries have been working for days to rescue him from the country's third deepest cave. "Our medical team is working really hard to try to keep Mark's condition as stable as possible. Since yesterday, we started lifting the stretcher and transporting him through the cave," Giuseppe Conti, European Cave Rescue Association technical commission chairperson, told reporters. Mark's medical condition right now is very good," said Tulga Sener, medical coordinator for the cave rescue commission.

Persons: caver Mark Dickey, Umit, Mark Dickey, Giuseppe Conti, Mark, Jessica Van Ord, Tulga Sener, Cenk, Dickey, Ali Kucukgocmen, Huseyin Hayatsever, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rescue Association, Bulent Usta, Thomson Locations: Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Rights MERSIN, American, Mersin, Cenk Yildiz

☆ US cave explorer trapped in Turkey will be out 'within several days,' governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] U.S. caver Mark Dickey is seen in Morca Cave, days before he fell ill and became trapped some 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) underground, near Anamur in Mersin province, southern Turkey August 28, 2023. REUTERS/Agnes Berentes Acquire Licensing RightsMERSIN, Turkey, Sept 9 (Reuters) - A team of rescuers are ready to start moving an American cave explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,280.84 ft) underground in southern Turkey and will have him out "within several days," Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan said on Saturday. More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other nations have been working to save him from the country's third deepest cave. Footage from the operation showed Dickey lying inside the cave and receiving treatment by a medical team. "This is a vertical cave with a lot of water," Agnes Berentes, a photographer with Dickey on the mission, told Reuters.

Persons: caver Mark Dickey, Agnes Berentes, Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Mark Dickey, Pehlivan, Carl Heitmeyer, Dickey, Recep Salci, Ali Kucukgocmen, Huseyin Hayatsever, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, New, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cave, Anamur, Mersin province, Turkey, Rights MERSIN, American, Mersin, New Jersey

☆ US Cave Explorer Trapped in Turkey Will Be Out 'Within Several Days' -Governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MERSIN, Turkey (Reuters) - A team of rescuers are ready to start moving an American cave explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres (3,280.84 ft) underground in southern Turkey and will have him out "within several days," Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan said on Saturday. More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other nations have been working to save him from the country's third deepest cave. "Depending on the developments at the stations in between, hopefully the evacuation will have been completed within several days," Pehlivan told reporters. Footage from the operation showed Dickey lying inside the cave and receiving treatment by a medical team. "This is a vertical cave with a lot of water," Agnes Berentes, a photographer with Dickey on the mission, told Reuters.

Persons: Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Mark Dickey, Pehlivan, Carl Heitmeyer, Dickey, Agnes Berentes, Recep Salci, Ali Kucukgocmen, Huseyin Hayatsever, Richard Chang Organizations: New, Reuters Locations: MERSIN, Turkey, American, Mersin, New Jersey

☆ 'I'm up, I'm alert,' says U.S. cave explorer trapped in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MERSIN, Turkey, Sept 8 (Reuters) - An American cave explorer trapped more than 1,000 metres underground in a cave in southern Turkey has recorded a video message to say he was up and alert after a team of rescuers reached him with medical supplies. More than 150 rescuers from Turkey and other nations have been working to save him. "Hi, I'm Mark Dickey from nearly a thousands metres," Dickey said in the message, dressed in a red puffer jacket and using a headlamp. "As you can see, I'm up, I'm alert, I'm talking. But I'm not healed on the inside yet, so I'm going to need a lot of help to get out of here," he said.

Persons: Mark Dickey, Dickey, I'm, Sener, Recep Salci, Salci, Ali Kucukgocmen, Daren Butler, Ros Russell Organizations: Emergency Management, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MERSIN, Turkey, American, Mersin, Turkish, Anamur, Mersin province

☆ Canada detects first case of highly mutated coronavirus variant BA.2.86
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test collection centre is seen at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada February 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Canada has detected its first case of coronavirus infection from the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of Omicron in a person in British Columbia who had not traveled outside the Pacific province, health officials said on Tuesday. "It was not unexpected for BA.2.86 to show up in Canada and the province," they said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week the BA.2.86 variant may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received preventive vaccines. Canadian health authorities have noted an uptick in COVID infections in recent weeks, though virus activity remains relatively low, Health Canada said in a weekly update earlier on Tuesday.

Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Bonnie Henry, Adrian Dix, Ismail Shakil, Sandra Maler Organizations: International Airport, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Health, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Thomson Locations: Richmond , British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia, Pacific, Denmark, United States, Switzerland, Israel, Health Canada

☆ British Columbia lifts most travel restrictions as Canada wildfires ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The restrictions barred non-essential travel to communities in the province's interior including Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops and were due to expire at midnight. The measure will remain in place for West Kelowna. Flames burned nearly 200 homes in Kelowna and West Kelowna, officials said, but conditions were slowly improving even though smoke continued to blanket the province. "I really am beginning to feel like we're turning the corner here on this fire," West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund told a news conference. "...The efforts in partnership with the federal government, with First Nations and others on recovery has started already," British Columbia Premier David Eby told a news conference in West Kelowna.

Persons: David Eby, Chad Hipolito, Jason Brolund, Columbia Premier David Eby, Nia Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: British, REUTERS Acquire, West, Northwest Territories, Flames, Kelowna and, First Nations, Columbia Premier, Thomson Locations: Kamloops, Canada, British Columbia, Kelowna, Vernon, West Kelowna, Northwest, Yellowknife, Kelowna and West Kelowna, Hay River, Fort Smith, Alberta

☆ Wildfire-hit British Columbia blanketed with hazardous smoke pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A boat passes under the Lions Gate bridge to enter Vancouver Harbour, shrouded in a haze of wildfire smoke, as seen from Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsREVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Millions of people in the western Canadian province of British Columbia were under air quality warnings on Monday as hundreds of wildfires filled the skies with smoke and turned the sun orange. In the cities of Kelowna and Kamloops, the air quality index (AQI) was above 350, a "hazardous" level, real-time air quality information platform IQAir showed. Wildfire smoke is a seasonal occurrence for much of heavily-forested British Columbia, but the number of wildfires and amount of land burned is trending higher as a result of climate change, increasing concerns about the impact on human health. "This type of extreme smoke event covering all of our province does not happen every year," said Jalena Bennett, smoke information specialist with BlueSky Canada, adding 2018 was the last time wildfire smoke was so widespread.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Jalena Bennett, Ash, Marie, Eve Hervieux, Bobby Sekhon, Nia Williams, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, British Columbia, BlueSky, Environment, Thomson Locations: Lions, Vancouver, Cypress Mountain, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Rights REVELSTOKE, Canadian, British, Kelowna, Kamloops, Lahore, Pakistan, BlueSky Canada, Shuswap Lake, Environment Canada, Metro Vancouver, Revelstoke

☆ Fire tourists, drone fliers told to stay clear of British Columbia blazes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People walk on a marina as smoke from wildfires hangs low in the Lake Okanagan city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - Wildfire tourists and drone operators who could be impeding the work of firefighters are being told by British Columbia officials that they are unwelcome while fast moving and unpredictable forest fires rage in the Canadian province. More than 35,000 people were under evacuation order by Saturday following British Columbia Premier David Eby's declaration of a state of emergency late on Friday, giving authorities more powers to tackle fire-related risks. Some 3,400 workers are involved in firefighting in British Columbia in western Canada. "Leaving Yellowknife, you're driving into the smoke," the 33-year old said of his 20-hour journey home to Calgary in Alberta province.

Persons: Chris Helgren, British Columbia Premier David Eby's, Bruce Ralston, Eby, Ralston, Ma, that's, Brent Saulnier, I've, Denny Thomas, George Sargent, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, British Columbia, British Columbia Premier, Emergency Management, Climate Readiness, Thomson Locations: Lake Okanagan, Kelowna , British Columbia, Canada, British, Canadian, British Columbia, Canada's Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Calgary, Alberta, Toronto

☆ Militants attack Pakistani military convoy escorting Chinese nationals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Gul Yousafzai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Militants attacked a Pakistani military convoy near the strategic southwestern port of Gwadar on Sunday as it was escorting a delegation of Chinese nationals to a construction project, the military and China's consulate in Karachi said. China's consulate in the southern city of Karachi condemned the attack, adding in a statement that there were no casualties among its citizens on the convoy. The attack targeted Chinese passengers travelling from Gwadar airport towards a construction site in the port area, the source said. The BLA and other militant groups say Pakistan exploits the province's natural resources and have targeted Chinese interests in recent years for supporting that. Gwadar is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea, and is being developed under Chinese management.

Persons: Ethan Wang, Gibran Peshimam, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Initiative, Terrorists, Separatist, Balochistan Liberation, Thomson Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan, Gwadar, Karachi, China, Balochistan, China's, Hormuz, Beijing

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from a mudslide last week in China's northwestern Shaanxi province has risen to four, state radio said on Sunday, as the country grapples with unusually high summer rainfall. TYPHOON WEAKENSMeanwhile, Typhoon Khanun weakened into a tropical depression when it made landfall in China's Liaoning province on Friday night. Overnight rainfall in Liaoning peaked at 52 millimetres (2 inches) per hour, with four reservoirs exceeding flood limits, CCTV said. A video posted by state media People's Daily showed thick swirling clouds hanging low above the ground, darkening the sky. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Typhoon Khanun, Khanun, Doksuri, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Jamie Freed Organizations: China Central Television, Xinhua, Liaoning province's Anshan, Flood, Drought, Ministry of Emergency Management, CCTV, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Shaanxi, Xian, China's Liaoning, Liaoning, Tianjin, Chongqing, China, Xinjiang

☆ Art therapy offers relief to Afghan women struggling with mental health
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But she sank into depression since the Taliban closed tertiary institutions to women in December, requiring psychiatric treatment where she was recommended art therapy classes. But many women, particularly in urban areas, who gained opportunities in education and work during the 20-year presence of foreign troops and a Western-backed government are now struggling with a deep sense of despair and mental health challenges, Afghan women and mental health experts say. There are few reliable figures on mental health trends but anecdotally doctors and aid workers say more women are struggling with mental health in the wake of the orders restricting women's work and education. Not only did I make good friends here, I also receive art therapy," said a former university student at the class. Khushi said the art therapy gave her a respite from home and a little hope for the future.

Persons: Khushi, I'm, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Health, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MAZAR, SHARIF, Afghanistan, Balkh province's, Islamic Emirate, Balkh's, Mazar

People ride a boat through a flooded road after the rains and floods brought by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri, in Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China August 3, 2023. The vast Hai River basin covers an area the size of Poland that includes Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin. On his visit to flood storage areas in Baoding, Ni added that it was necessary to reduce the pressure on Beijing's flood control and create a "moat" for the Chinese capital. "I'd like to know, among all the people living in flood storage areas across the country, how many of them know they are living in such areas?" As of 8:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Friday, Hebei had relocated more than 1.54 million people, including 961,200 from flood storage areas, state media reported on Saturday.

Persons: Doksuri, Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping, Secretary Ni Yuefeng, netizens, netizen, David Kirton, Ryan Woo, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Beijing, Hebei's Communist, Secretary, Reuters, China Water Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, Thomson Locations: Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China, BEIJING, China's, Hebei, Poland, Beijing, Tianjin, Baoding prefecture, Baoding, Xiongan, Ni, Weibo, Bazhou, Shanghai

[1/3] People embrace as they stand near damage to a road, after the heaviest rain to hit the Atlantic Canadian province of Nova Scotia in more than 50 years triggered floods, in Ellershouse, West Hants Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada July 23, 2023. REUTERS/John Morris/File PhotoOTTAWA, July 24 (Reuters) - Two of the four people missing after floods ripped through the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia over the weekend are dead, Premier Tim Houston said on Monday. The floods washed away roads, swamped buildings and damaged bridges and a Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO) track connecting with Halifax, Canada's fourth-largest port. Canadian National has already restored much of the damaged infrastructure, but some repairs will be delayed until the flood waters recede, company spokesman Scott Brown said. "With supply chains the reality is the longer the disruption lasts, the more severe the impact is," he said by phone.

Persons: John Morris, Tim Houston, Houston, Scott Brown, Lane Farguson, Farguson, David Ljunggren, Nia Williams, Aurora Ellis, Grant McCool Organizations: Atlantic, Ellershouse , West, Ellershouse , West Hants Regional, REUTERS, OTTAWA, Canadian, Monday, Police, Canadian National Railway, Canada's, Canadian National, U.S . Midwest, Thomson Locations: Atlantic Canadian, of Nova Scotia, Ellershouse ,, Ellershouse , West Hants, Ellershouse , West Hants Regional Municipality , Nova Scotia, Canada, Canadian Atlantic, Halifax, Europe, Asia, Ottawa, British Columbia

☆ Nova Scotia says dam could breach, tells residents to get out
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, July 22 (Reuters) - Torrential rains lashing the Canadian Atlantic province of Nova Scotia threatened to overwhelm a dam on Saturday and caused major damage in parts of Halifax, the largest city. The province's emergency office said a dam near the St. Croix River system could breach and told local residents to evacuate immediately. The alert covers a large part of central Nova Scotia. "Dam overflow - Evacuation order for the St. Croix river system area. Dam at risk of breaching," the province's emergency management office said in a message sent to cellphones.

Persons: Mike Savage, Bill Blair, David Ljunggren, Daniel Wallis Organizations: OTTAWA, St, Twitter, Federal Emergencies Management, Environment, Thomson Locations: Atlantic, of Nova Scotia, Halifax, St, Croix, Nova Scotia, Environment Canada, Canada, United States

July 13 (Reuters) - Qingdao city in China's debt-laden Shandong province has set up a company to bail out its cash-strapped local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), sources said, as regional governments rush to reduce debt risks in a wobbly economy. The government of Qingdao and the China Development Bank did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment. While no LGFV in China has defaulted in the public markets, cases of delinquencies in the private debt market are increasing, worrying Beijing. Tianjin LGFV bonds yield more than 514 bps over government bonds, compared with 200 bps for Shandong bonds, reflecting the elevated risks. Fund manager Zhou said although he is bullish on LGFV bonds, "the first priority is to be absolutely diversified in investment.

Persons: Qingdao's, Xi Jinping, LGFVs, Goldman Sachs, Zhai Jianye, Zhai, It's, Zhou Tingzuo, Ning Yong, Zhou, Samuel Shen, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: Dongdin Industrial Group, China Development Bank, Southwest Securities, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Commercial Bank of China, SS, Shoupu Fund Management Co, Ning Yong Fu Fund Management, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, China's, Shandong, China, Shandong LGFVs, Beijing, Big, Jinan, Weifang, Liaoning, Hunan, Shanghai, Tianjin, Singapore

☆ One dead, 7 missing in central China highway landslide
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 9 (Reuters) - One person has died and seven were missing after a landslide overtook a highway construction site on an expressway in central China, local government officials said on Sunday. China's ministry of emergency management activated a level-four emergency response and sent a working group to the site to guide emergency handling, according to a WeChat post. The minister of emergency management urged authorities to find out what caused the landslide. Torrential rains in parts of China over several weeks have led to a number of deadly landslides. China's government has issued advisories about rain and other natural disasters for local governments to stay alert and respond quickly.

Persons: Bernard Orr, Qiaoyi Li, William Mallard Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Saturday's, Hubei province, Sichuan province

The Alberta Industrial Heartland, a not-for-profit organization consisting of five Alberta municipalities, and the Hong Kong-based private equity firm Can-China Global Resource Fund (CCGRF) had announced their partnership in 2016 to encourage investments across North America. "This partnership no longer exists," Karlee Conway Director Communications of the Alberta Industrial Heartland said in an email response to Reuters. The lead investor of the fund was China's Export-Import Bank, Vancouver-based mining firm Hunter Dickinson and Swiss commodity trader Mercuria. While all three were released in 2021, the relationship between China and Canada has not returned to normal. The oil-rich province of Alberta exported C$4.5 billion worth of goods to China in 2020, making it the Canadian province's second-biggest export market.

Persons: Karlee, Hunter Dickinson, Lynette Ong, FROSTY, Meng Wanzhou, Divya Rajagopal, Xie Yu, Denny Thomas, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Reuters, The, The Alberta Industrial Heartland, China Global Resource Fund, Karlee Conway, Communications, Alberta Industrial Heartland, China's, Import Bank, MEC Advisory Ltd, EXIM Bank, Science, University of Toronto, CQ Energy, Ottawa, Huawei, Canadian, Exim Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Chinese Communist Party, Thomson Locations: TORONTO, HONG KONG, Alberta, The Alberta, Hong Kong, China, North America, Vancouver, Swiss, Canada, Ottawa, Calgary, Beijing, United States

☆ Foxconn to invest $246 mln in 2 projects in northern Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, June 30 (Reuters) - The world's largest contract electronics maker and assembler, Foxconn (2354.TW), has received approval from Vietnam to invest $246 million in two new projects its northern province of Quang Ninh, the local authority said on Friday. The projects, by its unit Foxconn Singapore, will raise total investments by Foxconn in Vietnam to about $3 billion and will centre on the manufacture and assembly of telecom and electric vehicle (EV) parts, the provincial government said. The remaining $46 million is for a plant to produce electronics and telecommunication components, with production set to begin in October 2024. Foxconn, which has been in Vietnam for nearly two decades, also plans to set up a new factory in the central province of Nghe An. with an initial investment of $100 million, the provincial local authority said last month.

Persons: Foxconn, Phuong Nguyen, Khanh Vu, Martin Petty Organizations: Foxconn, Thomson Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, Quang Ninh, Singapore, Hanoi, Foxconn, Nghe

TORONTO/HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters) - The Alberta government has ended a partnership with a Chinese private equity fund that targeted $10 billion to invest in the natural resources sector, a spokesperson for the Alberta entity told Reuters. The Alberta Industrial Heartland, a not for profit organization of the province of Alberta, and the Hong Kong-based private equity firm Can-China Global Resource Fund (CCGRF) had announced their partnership in 2016 to encourage investments across North America. "This partnership no longer exists," Karlee Conway Director Communications of the Alberta Industrial Heartland in an email response to Reuters. The lead investor of the fund was China's Export-Import Bank, Vancouver-based mining firm Hunter Dickinson and Swiss commodity trader Mercuria. This month, Canada froze ties with the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as it launched a probe into allegations that the institution was dominated by the Chinese Communist Party.

Persons: Karlee, Hunter Dickinson, Meng Wanzhou, Divya Rajagopal, Xie Yu, Denny Thomas, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Reuters, The, The Alberta Industrial Heartland, China Global Resource Fund, Karlee Conway, Communications, Alberta Industrial Heartland, China's, Import Bank, MEC Advisory Ltd, EXIM Bank, CQ Energy, Ottawa, Huawei, Canadian, Exim Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Chinese Communist Party, Thomson Locations: TORONTO, HONG KONG, Alberta, The Alberta, Hong Kong, China, North America, Vancouver, Swiss, Canada, Calgary, Beijing, United States

☆ Northern Ireland's DUP head says could back new post-Brexit trade proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The DUP has not returned to Northern Ireland's devolved executive since February 2022, rejecting the first post-Brexit deal with the EU and then the second, so-called Windsor Framework, which is due to be introduced later this year. "We are very clear that the Windsor Framework does not meet our seven tests. The DUP has criticised the government's post-Brexit deals for the province since former Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed the so-called Northern Ireland protocol in order to secure a Brexit divorce and wider trade deal with Brussels. The government has said the Windsor Framework solves most of the post-Brexit trade problems and that it has no plans to renegotiate it. Instead it is trying to offer the DUP legal guarantees to protect post-Brexit trade with the province.

Persons: Jeffrey Donaldson, Rishi Sunak, Donaldson, We've, I've, Boris Johnson, Elizabeth Piper, Christina Fincher Organizations: Northern Ireland's, Democratic Unionist, DUP, European Union, EU, Windsor, Centre, Ireland, Windsor Framework, Thomson Locations: Northern, Britain, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Windsor, London, Brussels, Ireland

☆ UK minister says talks to restore Northern Ireland government moving slowly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Britain's Northern Ireland minister said on Tuesday talks to restore the province's devolved government were moving slowly because there was a lack of clarity on the right legislative approach to end the impasse. Northern Ireland's devolved executive collapsed in February last year when the Democratic Unionist Party pulled out in protest at Britain's post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union. They then also rejected a revised deal, the Windsor Framework, reached last February. The British government is in talks with the DUP on restoring the power-sharing system but Northern Ireland minister Chris Heaton-Harris declined to be drawn on the details of how those talks were going. Speaking separately in Dublin, U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy said that while there is real interest from U.S. companies to invest in Northern Ireland, they want to see how that Windsor Framework is implemented.

Persons: Chris Heaton, Harris, Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy, Kennedy, Alistair Smout, Padraic Halpin, Jonathan Oatis, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Northern, Democratic Unionist Party, European Union, DUP, Heaton, Good, Northern Ireland, Windsor, Thomson Locations: Northern Ireland, Northern, Windsor, London . London, United Kingdom, Dublin, U.S, British, Ireland, Stormont, London

Northvolt, which counts BMW (BMWG.DE) and Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) among its investors, last year delivered its first battery cells from its gigafactory in Skelleftea in Sweden. In its largest deal in Europe yet, IMCO has invested $400 million in Northvolt through convertible notes, it told Reuters. "Whether it (Northvolt) goes public or stays private, we've done our homework and we are happy with the investment." Matthew Mendes, IMCO's head of infrastructure, said the Northvolt investment was examined jointly by his team and IMCO's public equities managers. IMCO has an investment team of 110 staff, which it plans to grow as it looks for more investments overseas.

Persons: IMCO, we've, Northvolt, Stoyanova, Carlyle, Matthew Mendes, IMCO's, Mendes, Simon Jessop, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Energy, Canada's Investment Management Corporation of Ontario, BMW, Volkswagen, Reuters, Blackstone, Thomson Locations: Europe, Swedish, Skelleftea, Sweden, Germany, Britain, North America, Ontario, Brookfield

☆ As climate change hits, China weighs new water megaprojects
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"What they have been doing so far is using engineering solutions to try to physically supply water and fix their water problem," said Mark Wang, a geographer at Melbourne University who studies the impact of China's water infrastructure. "If China can reduce water use and increase efficiency, it doesn't need mega-diversion projects." Total investment in fixed water assets exceeded 1.1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) last year, up 44% compared with 2021, analysts said. It rose 15.6% to 407 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2023 and officials say even more funding will be made available. 'CHAIN REACTIONS'Part of the new plan involves the expansion of the South-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), an ambitious engineering project that diverts surplus Yangtze River water to the arid Yellow River basin in the north.

Persons: Li Guoying, Mark Wang, Wang, Genevieve Donnellon, Gorges, David Stanway, Gerry Doyle Organizations: of Water, Melbourne University, China's Ministry of Water Resources, Oxford Global Society, Diversion, Thomson Locations: China, SINGAPORE, Sichuan, Liangshan County, Poyang Lake, Tibet, India

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